Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla de Jesus Jerez.
Hi Carla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My pleasure thanks for having me 😊 I’m an artist/filmmaker with a penchant for colorful, web-inspired work. My practice involves physical and digital creations, as well as performance, production, stop motion, and artificial intelligence. I like to have a finger in every pie 🥧
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nah, I have yet to crack any special code. So naturally, my life has had its peaks and valleys. There are common challenges I’ve faced as an artist mostly finding the time and the money to do my work, getting decent healthcare and learning new skills (especially technical!). But there are also the challenges of letting myself be the person I want to be and getting out of my own way. To give an example: I’ve wanted to be a filmmaker since I was about 12, and I took my dad’s camcorder to document my sleepovers. But I didn’t get into any film schools, so I decided it wasn’t the right path for me. I see now that it was a way to protect myself from further rejection. I faced a lot of rejection as a kid for my different creative expressions as an actor and writer. (In hindsight, I was probably too intense and creepy) So I built up a lot of walls. It’s taken years, but I’m learning the only way I’ve been able to move forward artistically has been to face rejection over and over. It definitely gets easier with time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I recently made a stop motion PSA for Oolite Arts in a contest called “Masks Up Miami.” It features different iconic Miami locales in a vibrant combination of collage, painting, and drawings. You can check it out at oolitearts.com/masksup. The characters in the PSA come from my passion project, The Girlgang AU-a comedic web series that follows a shapeshifting glamazon named Peachess (played by local artist J Aaron Byrnes) as she tackles social justice issues. I’d say the formula for this work is equal parts Riot Grrrl, Party City, and Bruja.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
It’s probably played a larger role than I know. The people in my life, where I grew up, how I was educated – these things were all dictated by outside forces. How much of my life is determined by my own will? Well, I certainly choose what I wear every day. Though I must admit under quarantine, my style could use a cosmic intervention.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.girlgangau.net/
- Instagram: @teetertats
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt_WrUOZ24w
- Other: https://oolitearts.org/masksup/
Image Credits
“The Girlgang AU” – Director of Photography, Audrienne Shifflette, @audrienneshifflette “Mask Magic” – Director of Photography, Larry McDonough, @theitchysound
